


beschützen

by cats_claw_tea



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Animal Traits, Blood and Injury, Feral Behavior, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, protective scratchansniff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:47:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28422687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cats_claw_tea/pseuds/cats_claw_tea
Summary: After several days away in a conference, Dr. Otto Von Scratchansniff returns to the movie lot on the day that the Warners have an appointment with the company's toon-hating medic, Dr. Barbarous. Things don't go well from there.
Comments: 48
Kudos: 211





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic! I'm basing this on the 90's series and sliding in references from some of the old episodes. I'm not a writer by any means, just always wanted a story where the Warners show their more animalistic side and can go feral on the people who hurt them. Also, Otto Von Scratchansniff is very protective of them in this fic, horray for papa Otto! This was written in one take, and I've most likely missed a few spelling errors. As a warning, this fic references child abuse and mental health issues, as well as other health issues and chronic illnesses. Just a reminder that I don't own Animaniacs or make any money from this fanwork!

It was a hot yet pleasant day in Burbank as a teal blue minivan approached the ticket booth of the warner movie lot, the worker inside allowing the car passage, recognizing the driver. The psychiatrist proceeded to park in the designated spot outside his office building. Stepping out of the vehicle, Dr. Otto Von Scratchansniff sighed as he slammed the door of the van shut, rounding the front as he struggled to hold all his bags, suitcase, and briefcase. It was a decent hour, about 11:15am with the sun shining high in the clear blue sky. Otto glanced at the water tower across the lot, fully expecting the trio of toons to race out of their dwelling and greet him like he always did. He found the stillness odd, but shrugged it off as he made his way into the office building. Perhaps they were filming. Balancing his items in one arm, he managed to unlock his office and drop his suitcase and bags of souvenirs on the chaise, placing his briefcase and papers on his desk.  


His answering machine was flashing with over ten new voice messages, so he clicked play as he opened his briefcase and began sorting out his work and placing files where they belonged. The first several messages were from Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. They were calling to see when he would be back _(despite telling them several times when he would be returning)_ and expressing that they missed him, sounding sad that he left them alone to go to the Psychiatric Association Conference without them. He couldn’t help but chuckle, knowing the kids would be bored out of their minds if he brought them along, thus causing chaos to combat the boredom. Though, as wonderful it was to be surrounded by like-minded people who shared his profession, he was beginning to miss being back at his office _( though he’d never admit it)._ Pausing from flipping through his notes, he reached out to adjust a framed photo sitting on his desk: a picture of himself smiling with the Warner children.  
Over the years of working with them, he had grown quite attached to the zany trio. It took years of stress and hair-pulling to somewhat figure out the enigma that were the Warners, how it was in their nature to be rambunctious and hyper, though they cooled it down considerably now when it came to the psychiatrist. Through patience and understanding did he learn of their health hiccups, such as Dot's struggles with perfectionism and bouts of sudden fatigue _(she was still quite young, but the fatigue was prominent enough for her brothers to take notice when she was having an episode, asking her if she'd like to stop filming, and promptly carrying her back to the tower ignoring the director's protests)_ Yakko's struggle with generalized anxiety disorder which exasperated his stuttering issue _(though it had gotten better, he tends to get stuck on sentences beginning with the letter "I" or "A")_ , Wakko's selective mutism and constant need for snacks to combat his hypoglycemia _(Dot and Yakko always seemed to save a portion of their snacks to give to Wakko for those very moments)_.  


A day of clarity finally came when he was trying hard to teach the kids how to behave well enough _(as-per Plotz's order)_ to attend an elegant gala where some of Hollywood’s biggest stars would be attending. They showed they were capable of behaving and were quite intelligent, being able to repeat the proper 14-piece dinnerware set and etiquette _(while in song, too!)_ back to him when only told once. Their reason for giving him such a hard time earlier in their relationship? _**Because they loved him.**_ Something changed in that moment, when all three siblings gave him an exaggerated kiss on his balding head and hugged him tightly- these kids weren’t as bad as everyone seemed to make them out to be. Certainly not as bad as to justify locking them up for over 60 years in a dark water tower. He wasn’t certain as to who was their caretaker back in the early days of their existence, but whoever it was seemed to have treated them poorly.  


He remembered when a simple command to “sit up” in their chairs when they slouched caused all three siblings to suddenly assume the position of a begging dog on the floor, complete with panting and tails wagging, refusing to stand back up. _“Not without a treat we wont!”_ he remembered the youngest Warner explained, clearly upset. That didn't seem like a normal response to such a simple command, even in toon's standards. Otto knew that the kids held animal-like tendencies. Heck, he could easily tell their moods based on their ear and tail positions alone, but they were much more like children than animals, so whoever had attempted to train them like animals clearly didn't respect them enough to treat them like children.  


Focusing back on his paperwork, he skipped to the last message on his answering machine. It was his assistant, Heloise Nerz, reminding him that the Warner’s checkup was to be on June the 12th at 11am with Dr. Barbarous. Ah, so _that’s_ why the lot was so quiet that morning. He had hoped to be present for the checkup, as he was with most of their appointments nowadays. He knew the no-nonsense Doctor had a reputation of having a notoriously short-fuse, and a blatant hate for toons in general. Mr. Plotz had personally selected him for the job, which _unfortunately made a lot of sense._ He could tell he had it out for the Warners, and every other toon on the a lot for that matter, which is precisely why he asked to be present for their appointments. If the higher-ups had no problem with locking literal children away in isolation for decades, _then who knows what they would be capable of behind closed medical doors._ It made Otto sick to think about. He spent some more time tidying up, opening the window blinds and was about to get coffee when suddenly an alarm blared, causing him to jump and yelp from the suddenness.  


A code Gray was announced through the intercom on the lot, and the psychiatrist assumed it was an irate actor or aggressive fan heckling the staff, but after it was followed by a call specifically for “> _Dr.Scratchansniff, report to the pediatrics medical ward **immediately** ”_ did a pit drop in his stomach. Without a second thought he rushed from his office, not bothering to lock it as he made his way as quick as he could to the pediatrics ward across the lot, running and huffing as he eventually arrived in the cool air-conditioned building. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he briskly walked down several corridors, finally approaching a sizeable crowd of medical personnel where the code gray must've been called. Glancing around nervously, he suddenly could see an upset and confused Dot being escorted down the hall towards the exit, Wakko trailing closely behind and holding her hand. Once the siblings caught sight of him, they perked up immediately, attempting to make a run for Scratchy but were stopped by the nurses escorting them. Otto wordlessly waved as the two were led around the corner and out of sight. The doors to the exam room were thrown open, several security guards ushering out Dr. Barbarous who stumbled out holding what seemed to be a nasty wound on his right arm, the sleeve of the white lab coat now shredded and stained crimson as nurses immediately tended to him.  


“Vhat happened?!” Otto asked, shaken up by the sight as Barbarous turned to sneer at him “That **THING** attacked me! Unprovoked! Wait until the press hears about this! Those three little devils better lose their privileges of seeing the light of day again, or I will _personally **EUTHANIZE THEM!**_ ” he screamed as he was tended to. Otto stood there dumbfounded... _one of the kids did that??_ Dot and Wakko seemed perfectly fine, if not a bit rattled as they passed by him just moments ago, and neither had any blood on them judging by the size of the wound…which would leave only Yakko.

He snapped out of his stupor as Ralph called him over to the door that he was currently holding shut along with other security personnel. Plotz was close behind them, dragging Otto over by his shirt and demanding he defuse the situation before the press showed up. “YOU’RE THE ONLY IDIOT THAT THOSE WARNERS EVER LISTEN TO! I DON’T _CARE_ WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO, JUST GO IN THERE AND MAKE SURE THAT TOON ISN’T GOING TO **KILL** ANYONE! I’LL PAY YOU DOUBLE, NO- TRIPLE, IF YOU CAN DO IT NOW BEFORE THE PRESS HEARS ABOUT THIS _AND WERE ALL OUT OF OUR JOBS!"_  


And with that, the security opened the door just wide enough for Plotz to shove Otto through, firmly slamming the door shut behind him. Stumbling, the doctor caught himself just before landing in a pile of broken glass and medical instruments strewn across the floor. Steeling himself, he calmed his nerves to stand up and take in the scene. The desk and chairs were knocked over, paper and glass littered the floor along with droplets and smears of bright red blood. His heart hammered in his chest as he noticed that Yakko was nowhere to be seen, and the for a _split second_ a fear crept up his spine as though whatever it was that happened to Dr. Barbarous would happen to him too… **-No!** Yakko would **never** do such a thing to him, **neither of them would!** _They were good kids, there had to be some sort misunderstanding!_ He took a calming breath, and called out the eldest Warner’s name. It was eerie with how quiet it was, and it unnerved him. That’s when he spotted the ink stains on the floor, pretty small in size, but big enough to be seen on the white carpet. Otto nearly jumped out of his skin when there was movement coming from a small coat closet at the far end of the room by the large windows, the door was partially opened and obscured his view into the closet. Slowly he made his way to the closet, taking note that the ink droplets lead straight into it.  


“Yakko? It’z me, it’z alright to come out, you don’t have to hide…you're not in trouble…” he tried, slowly nudging the door open with his foot, keeping his distance and backing up a few feet once the door swung open. The psychiatrist held his breath as the small figure slowly stepped out into the light, and Otto quietly observed the sight: Yakko's usually pristine-white face was now smeared with bright crimson around his mouth and chin, an impressive contusion already spreading on the left side of his face where a cut dripped ink freely. His arms were crossed defensively, his hands tightly gripped his elbows as his tail swished back and forth agitatedly, the fur standing on-end. He swayed dizzily in the spot, and despite the nervous body language and trembling of his limbs, his eyes were brimming with unshed tears. The teen lifted a blood-smeared glove to wipe away the quivering tears that were threatening to fall, and Otto noticed puncture holes at the tip of each glove. He was about to speak when the eldest Warner spoke first. “A-aaaaaare you sure I’m not in trouble, Doc?” he said in the calmest voice he could muster, though Otto could clearly hear the waver in it. All the air left his lungs from a breath he didn’t know he was holding once Yakko spoke, and cautiously he answered “Vell…to be honest I’m not sure…vhat…vhat happened, Yakko?”  


Suddenly as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore, the toon slouched as he began to cry, “I-Iiiiiii didn’t mean to do anything, Scratchy, I swear! I’ve never purposely hurt anybody in my life, please, you gotta believe me! Don’t let them take me away! It actually wasn't my fault for once!” Yakko plead, wringing his hands and altogether looking the absolute saddest that Otto had seen him in all his years of taking care of the Warners. “I’m all that Wakko and Dot have! And they’re a-all I have! If they take me away we’ll all… _W-WE’LL ALL_ -“ Yakko couldn’t finish his sentence because he began sobbing in earnest, letting go of his pride and allowing himself to freely cry. Finally, Otto approached Yakko and placed his hands comfortingly on his trembling shoulders, the flinch coming from the toon at was noticed but not commented on. Instead, Otto pulled a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and began wiping the tears away, along with attempting to wipe the unnerving blood stain from around his mouth, handing the handkerchief to the toon after some time.  


“There, there! Just take a breath und relax, breathe vith me, ok? In…und out…in…und out…” This went on for a solid 6 minutes until Yakko calmed enough, the irritated swishing of his tail had yet to stop but the fur had laid flat once more. “Now, as simple as you can put it, can you tell me vhat happened?” the psychiatrist asked, sensing clarity finally coming back to the child. “He hit me! I was _behaving_ and being good, but he kept HITTING ME! I WASN’T EVEN DOING ANYTHING BAD AND **THAT JERK KEPT HITTING ME!** ” Yakko exclaimed, getting worked up again.  
“Now Now, settle down, I can’t get the full story if you begin to cry again, ya? Now, vhere did he hit you?” Yakko’s ears pinned back in frustration, and pointed to the large bruise on his face that was still slowly oozing ink. Anger bubbled in the Otto's chest a he took in the sight of the injury. How DARE someone put their hands on _his childre-_ …on _the Warners._ No child, neither toon nor human could do anything to warrant an adult to lay their hands on them. Why did that seem like such an alien idea to all of the so-called 'professionals' who came into contact with the siblings?? The fact that he had pondered that very question numerous times only made the whole situation all the more disturbing.  


“Vhat were you doing before he hit you?” he _had_ to ask, to get some context behind the horrific act, and Yakko explained that he was going through a routine check up, but when it came to the reflexes portion of the exam he accidentally kicked the Doctor with his leg.  
“Und vhat did you do?”  
“Well, he wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise to even apologize, whenever I tried he’d hit me harder than a screen door in a hurricane” the toon explained, gingerly cupping his sore face. “So, _I bit him.”_  
Otto discreetly glanced down and noticed that Yakko’s pointed teeth, particularly the canines, still held a red tint to them. Unconsciously, Yakko’s tongue would flicker out to swipe at the human’s blood that stained around his mouth, whether it was out of instinct or that he actually enjoyed the taste was a question to be pondered about later. The psychiatrist made a mental note to order some diagnostic tests to make sure the teen wouldn’t contract any human-to-toon related illnesses, and vice-versa.  
“Then vhat happened?”  
“Well, he kept hittin' me so I bit harder. Then I got him with _these_ ” Yakko explained, wiggling his fingers. Oh... right, **claws**. Otto suddenly remembered, a few weeks ago when he took the kids out for lunch one day, he witnessed Wakko removing his glove to skewer an olive off of his sandwich with his claw- only for it to retract back when he ate the olive off it and placed his glove back on.  
“I see...vhat happened after that?” he pressed.  
“Well, I dug these in too! Heh, I-iiiii was just holdin' on as hard as I could to be honest, he started hitting and swinging his arm 'round and I didn’t want to fall.” the toon stuck his foot out, flexing the claws in his paw and looking a bit proud. He rubbed his head shortly after with a trembling hand, offhandedly mentioning that he had a headache, but tried to play it off as not a big deal. Despite the rage he felt building inside him against Dr. Barbarous, he was glad to see Yakko coming back to his old self, albeit sounding a bit stuffy with a residual waver in his voice from crying. Placing a hand on Yakko’s head, he gave a loving pat on the soft tuft of fur there, slightly faltering when Yakko threw in a quick “I just really hate it when folks always hit me.”  
Otto hated the implications that came with that simple statement: that it wasn’t the first time that the kid was hit or mistreated by the adults in his life. He made a mental note to have a session with the other siblings to see if they’ve received similar treatment from this particular Doctor, and look into the history of caretakers for the Warners. _People needed to be held accountable._  
“Vell, as long as im here, that von’t ever happen again. I Promise.”  
Yakko beamed, but the moment was cut short as the door to the office cracked open just a sliver for security to peek in **“DOCTOR, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”** came their voice through what seemed to be a megaphone.  
"Yes, HE is alright. Yakko needs medical assistance, send in Nurse Heloise please.”  
Suddenly, Mr.Plotz voice rang through somewhere behind the security. **“ARE YOU INSAINE?! HE ALMOST KILLED DR.BARBAROUS!”**  
“He didn’t ‘almost kill’ anyone! He was just defending himself! Now, send in Nurse Heloise!”  
**“I SAW DR.BARBAROUS! HE WAS DRENCHED IN BLOO-“**  
“HE ONLY HAD CUTS TO HIS ARM! SAME AS A HOUSE CAT CAN DO! HE SHALL BE FINE, NOW SEND IN NURSE HELOISE!” Otto shouted angrily, losing what little patience he had towards the CEO.  


After several beats of silence, Nurse Heloise appeared at the door coolly, one of the security guards shoving an object in her hand before she made her way to the pair across the room. On any other day, Yakko and his brother would howl their usual _“hellooooo nurse!”_ at the beautiful blonde, but Yakko felt awkward with her seeing him like this, bloodied and bruised with obvious signs that he was crying like a big baby not too long ago ( _and his anxiety and shame levels were through the roof knowing she probably heard the whole thing_ ). So, he kept his eyes downcast as he felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Otto on the other hand sighed in disappointment when Nurse Heloise held up the object in her hand: a muzzle.  
“That vont’ be necessary, nurse.” He said, taking the muzzle in distain as the nurse kneeled to look over Yakko’s wound. “Hmm...this may need stitches, hopefully some steri-strips and cold compresses can fix this up quick before any of that.” she observed in her soft voice, standing and dusting her skirt off, she outstretched her arms in offering to the eldest Warner. It took him a moment, but he leapt into her arms bridal-style, shyly tapping on her shoulder and leaning in to whisper in her ear as she carried him out following behind Otto. “Ahem…I didn’t mean to do any of this, y’know. Just lettin' you know before the rumor mill starts up…don't tell Wakko or Dot please...” Yakko whispered to her. “I won't, now let’s get you fixed up.” She responded softly.  


Leaving the exam room to head to the larger infirmary for stiches and supplies was chaos, from the guards trying to force the trio back in the room, to security trying to unsuccessfully wring Yakko from Nurse Heloise’s grasp, Scratchansniff and Plotz screaming at each other’s throats on whether or not the kids were dangerous, and ended in an ultimatum of Yakko being allowed to go get patched up **ONLY** if he wore the muzzle. The kid was miserable throughout the whole thing, and Otto couldn’t blame him. He couldn’t imagine being treated in such a way, and although he believed Yakko about what happened, that didn’t mean others did. The trio had a reputation of being zany and unpredictable, which hurt their case if Dr. Barbarous really did decide to press charges on them.  


The patch-job was rushed, nurse Heloise did her best with all the distractions and orders barked by security personnel crowded in the infirmary 'for her protection'. She couldn’t help but notice the toon’s off-balance movements, and made a note to personally revisit the Warner’s tower after hours with Otto to make sure it wasn’t truly a concussion. Afterwards, Yakko was escorted back to the tower by security with Dr.scratchansniff in tow, watching nervously as he climbed wobblily back to the top of the tower where his siblings eagerly greeted him. After the heavy steel door was shut, Otto marched right back to the CEO’s office. He was on a mission to get Dr .Barbarous _banned from the lot **permanently**..._

*interlude*  


Both Wakko and Dot were beyond relieved to have their brother back after being separated for too long, but both noticed something was very off- well, besides the bandages to his face. Call it instinct or spooky sibling connection, but the two could feel waves of anxiety literally rolling off their brother though he appeared calm and a bit sleepy, and it made their fur stand a bit on-end. "Whot happened to ya face?" Wakko asked, leaning in to get a closer look at the bandage and to poke at it carefully. Dot leaned in as well, noticing the slight tremor in her brother's demeanor, hyper-aware of everything that seemed off. She didn't comment on it though, knowing that with time he'll either tell her or it'll settle on it's own, she knew not to pry.  
"I just got into a scrap with that quack of a doctor today, it's no biggie. A-aaaaaaaaaanyways, what were you guys up to while I was gone?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as normal and unwavering as he could. Wakko explained that one of the nurses ordered them pizza after they were brought back to the tower, offering the eldest Warner the last two slices. Yakko didn't really have an appetite, but played along for their sake and the sake of normalcy. He stumbled on his way to the kitchen, and opted to flop on the floor by the coffee table in the livingroom to cover up the fact that his limbs didn't want to cooperate. Wakko and Dot took it in stride, bringing the slices to him on a plate as he sat on the floor. Yakko offered one of the slices to his siblings, Dot refused but Wakko eagerly ate the slice, tail wagging slightly. 

Taking a bite himself, he instantly regretted it when his throat suddenly _clenched_ shut, causing him to spit out the piece onto the plate. Pulling the handkerchief from his pocket that Scratchy had given him earlier and holding it to his mouth, he shakily offered the slice back to Dot, who took it without question and placed it back on the coffee table. Yakko felt his heart speed up, numbness crawling up his chest and neck. A cold feeling spread throughout his head like a bucket of ice water dropped over him as he squeezed the handkerchief that held Scratchy's scent. Yakko suddenly felt like he couldn't control his breathing, and belatedly came to a conclusion: _"Sibs...I'm **panicking**..."_ then proceeded to lie down halfway under the coffee table, burying his head in his arms as he tried to control his breathing . Dot nodded, quickly grabbing a couple of her dolls from the couch before joining Yakko under the table, pressing her side against his so that he could feel her soft purring as she busied herself in brushing her doll's hair. Wakko swiped the remaining slice of pizza his brother left behind and also joined his siblings under the table, shoving himself comfortably against Yakko's other side and joined in the purr, nonchalantly nibbling away. Despite the deafening noise of his heart hammering in his ears and his hyperventilating, his sibling's purrs kept him grounded as he focused on them. Dot's was a softer noise, small and calming while Wakko's was deeper and puttered on like a motorcycle. Eventually as time passed and he calmed more and more, he noticed that his own purr had joined theirs as well, creating a trio of soft harmonized thrumming. A considerable amount of time must've passed because Wakko and Dot were now playing with the dolls together, Wakko leading in the Don Knotts-esque comedy skit they were playing out. Smiling exhaustedly to himself, he rolled onto his side still sandwiched between the two most precious people in his life and fell into a dreamless sleep.

_***To be Continued*** _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otto comes up with a plan to expose Dr.Barbarous, but first must convince Mr. Plotz to be on his side for once. Unfortunately, Dr.Scratchansniff must witness firsthand exactly what happened in order to determine who was telling the truth...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm actually pleasantly surprised at all the positive feedback I'm getting on this story. Thankyou so much for all the kudos, comments, and constructive criticisms! I'll try to update on the weekends when I'm free, and edit bit by bit during the week. Just a note of caution: this chapter contains child abuse, blood/animal attack, and throwing up towards the end (because poor Scratchy is overwhelmed.) I promise the next chapter will be much better and fluffier, and contain more Scratchy/Warners family dynamic. Thankyou for your time and patience, have a lovely week!

  
Otto was fuming as he made his way to Mr.Plotz's office, crossing the pavement after making sure Yakko safely made it back inside the water tower. Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts _(and get his fury under control)_ , he took a rest next to one of the buildings, leaning on the brick wall and having a breather in the cool shade. Lifting his heavy spectacles to tiredly rub at his eyes, he could already feel his tension headache becoming a migraine, all the while Yakko's words echoed in his head. The image of the normally upbeat Warner who often played the voice of reason in the trio breaking down in tears wouldn't leave his mind, reminding him once again that despite being a sharp-witted fast talker, _**he was also just a kid.** They all were just children_, and although Otto had some idea of the horrors that went on behind the golden curtain of Hollywood, he didn't realize just how bad the kids had it. He felt partially to blame, suddenly. Perhaps if he had been more observant, more emotionally available sooner...then maybe things wouldn't have escalated the way they did.

  
Shaking his head, he quickly put an end to that train of thought. He reasoned with himself that he was _only one man_ , and was doing his best to take care of the Warners and their problems on his own since it seemed like nobody _(except for he, and a very select few)_ had the Warner's best interest in mind. He wasn't a mind-reader, and couldn't help the kids unless they told him if something or **someone** was bothering them- and the Warner trio were notoriously hard to read. Otto had come to realize that behind the jokes and gags, the pestering and overly-friendly disposition _(often picking a 'special friend' for the day to pester nonstop)_ it was often a trick to conceal what they truly felt. The kids were much more well-behaved in Otto's presence nowadays because he _respected_ them. He treated them just as he would if they were his own children, and in return they behaved around him and showed him affection in ways they didn't show others- from spontaneous hugs, surprise handmade gifts, to strange little headbutts that always ended in him lightly petting their heads _(and the Warners fighting over who gets the next turn to be petted)._ Only around people who didn't respect them or were flat-out rude to them did they act their worst. And seeing how they had a negative track record with a majority of people who worked with them, it just showed how little people thought of the Warners. Nobody respected them, nobody thought to treat them like actual children, nobody thought twice when it came to hurting them...which explained their current predicament, adding the fact that now one of them _finally **retaliated.**_ Unfortunately, the plan he had in mind would force him to witness firsthand exactly what occurred to them that morning...and the mere thought filled him with dread. But first, he had to tell his plan to Plotz. As mad as he was at the greedy CEO who hired Dr.Barbarous in the first place, he also had to get on his good side to convince him enough to get rid of the Doctor. So with that, he pushed off the wall and continued marching across the lot, determination driving him forward.

  
Otto entered the administrative building, taking the elevator to the top floor where Plotz's office resided. The secretary glanced up at the psychiatrist when he briskly entered the office looking tired and a bit disheveled, asking for an emergency meeting and stating it in a way that left no room for a refusal. Blinking, she immediately notified Plotz that Dr. Scratchansniff was looking for him through her desk phone, harsh yelling was heard through the small earpiece as she hung up with a huff. "Mister Plotz will see you now." she said nervously, pointing at the intimidating office door. Otto took one last calming breath before entering, spotting the other man nervously pacing by the large windows behind his desk.

**"DON'T SAY A WORD! THE COMPANY LAWYER IS ON HER WAY HERE AS WE SPEAK, AS IF THAT WILL SAVE ANY OF OUR ASSES NOW! WE'RE DONE FOR, AND IT'S ALL _YOUR FAULT!"_** the CEO yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at the psychiatrist.

" _M-Me?!_ How iz any of this my fault? It vas SOLELY the fault of that horrid monster you call a Doctor! That man had-"

**"I SAW how he looked, Scratchansniff! That fine man was mauled by those-those... _whatever they are!_ Do you realize what this means for the company when this gets out?! We'll be sued to hell and back, AND IF YOU HAD DONE WHAT I TOLD YOU TO DO AND PROPERLY TRAIN AND PUNISH THE WARNERS, THEN THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED!" **Plotz yelled, face reddening in anger as his temper (and blood pressure) rose.

"Sir...he vas HITTING the children! How do you think they felt when-"

**"I DON'T CARE HOW THEY FEEL, WE'RE RUINED!"**

Otto dragged a hand down his face and took a sharp breath to calm himself. He couldn't lose his temper now, he had to maintain his composure enough to get his plan across. But of course Plotz wouldn't care about the Warners' feeling or well being, _he only cared about the money they made him_ \- so, instead of trying to convince him to make a decision based on his morals _(he was certain the shorter man didn't have any)_ , he had to appeal to him in the only way he cared about: Otto removed his hand from his face, straightening his posture in confidence as he waited for Plotz' ranting to be over. Mentally steadying himself, he threw out the bait- "Sir, we may still be able to win the case...in fact, there may not even be a case at all if we play our cards right." the psychiatrist announced, immediately peaking the interest of the shorter man. Plotz was hooked, the prospect of the nightmare possibly ending as soon as it began was music to his ears, and he motioned Otto to go on with his explanation. 

  
"Vell, all exams vith the Warners are taped for security purposes, so if we can review the tapes to see vhat truly happened, then we can better prepare ourselves if Dr.Barbarous was telling the truth. Ralph can get us a copy of the security tape within the hour, if we must. If Yakko iz telling the truth, then Dr.Barbarous doesn’t have a chance vith a case, und therefore we von’t be losing any money! He can’t spin a tale to the media that he was attacked unprovoked if we have video proof!” Plotz's eyes lit up, instantly picking up the phone to dial Ralph's phone extension. Silence fell in the office as the phone faintly rang, Otto nervously tapped his foot impatiently, somewhat surprised that his plan had not only worked so well, but worked so _quickly._ When Ralph finally answered the phone, Plotz didn't even give him time to fully speak when the CEO began barking orders, **"RALPH, I NEED YOU TO RETRIEVE THE SECURITY FOOTAGE OF TODAY FOR THE PEDIATRIC'S MEDICAL WARD, EXAM ROOM 8, STARTING AT 11AM. HAVE IT SET UP AND PREPARED FOR VIEWING BY THE TIME WE GET THERE OR ELSE YOU CAN KISS YOUR JOB GOODBYE!"** and with that, he slammed the phone back onto the receiver.

"Lose his job? Sir, don't you think that's a bit harsh to say, you could have simply said to-"

"At this point Scratchansniff, we are **ALL** out of our jobs if this little plan backfires and shows that those Warners did this unprovoked. **YOU** especially, considering the fact that YOU are in charge of those little monsters!"

  
Otto kept his mouth shut as Plotz dialed another number, acting more polite than he did in the previous call, and addressed the company lawyer to meet him in the security office when she arrives. Once the call was finished, he grabbed some paperwork and a folder from his desk and marched out of the room, Otto following close behind. They rode down the elevator in silence, but Otto could see the CEO nervously sweating, and secretly took a small joy in seeing Plotz in such a way. Maybe _now_ he knows how Yakko felt earlier in the day when he was crying at the thought of being taken away from his siblings. Plotz losing his position of power, and the income it generated, was probably a world-ending thought for the greedy CEO, _so let him stew in it._ Once outside, an assistant was waiting in a golf cart to drive the shorter man to the security office, and the psychiatrist was barley seated when the cart took off at full speed. Fumbling to get a hold of the handle bar and steady himself as the golf cart speedily made its way around people and props on the lot, Otto glanced up at the water tower, wondering if the kids were doing ok after all of this...

  
Approaching the Security office, Otto could see a smartly-dressed woman waiting by the entrance and waving at Plotz. The CEO greeted the woman, handing her the folder and introducing her to Scratchansniff as Carmelita, the company's top lawyer. _Aha,_ he had heard about her before and her feats in winning nearly impossible cases involving toons, and felt somewhat a relief as he shook her hand and introduced himself. The trio made their way to the darkened media room inside the security office where Ralph stood among numerous monitors, only the two center monitors were on, paused on footage that had washed-out colors. After some talk between Plotz and Carmelita, she took out the folder with some papers and had a seat near the monitors, everyone else taking seats as well.

  
Otto was suddenly nervous, a wave of anxiety washing over him as the weight of the situation hit him harder now that he was really about to watch what happened. Thoughts were crossing his mind at a mile a minute, he deep down wasn't sure if he was ready yet to watch possibly squeamish footage, but it was too late to turn back now or request a transcript instead. Despite believing Yakko, there still was a seed of doubt that the attack may have been unprovoked after all _(though he couldn’t say he was upset with the toon, if he was treated the same way the Warners were, he probably would be on-edge and untrusting with all authority figures, too)._ He gulped nervously as Ralph hit the play command on the console. Sure enough, the footage showed all three Warner’s appointments, starting with Dot. One screen showed the interior of the exam room, while another screen showed the waiting hall directly outside the exam room, a set of 3 chairs sitting outside the door. Although the audio was muffled and hard to hear, the video was clear. _**It also seemed that the problem began earlier than thought...**_

  


***

All three toons are seen sitting in the waiting chairs outside the exam room, swinging their feet and chatting away to each other, until the exam room door is opened and Dot is called in. As she hops from the chair and makes her way to the door, the Warner brothers pick a magazine to share while Dot leaves the trio.

Dot is seen entering the exam room, waving cutely at Dr.Barbarous who coldly pointed to the exam table and commanding her to sit. It took her several tries to jump up onto the exam table, and Otto was suddenly frustrated that the Doctor didn't even bother to help her up. If **he** was there _(which he deeply regretted not being there for the kids)_ then he would've helped her sit on the table, as well as answer the more complicated medical questions that a guardian would normally answer. Throughout the footage, Dot was seen behaving decently during the check-up routine, getting up towards the very end of the exam to excitedly look out the window, surely looking at whatever celebrity was out there walking across the lot as any child her age would. Dr.Barbarous could be seen walking up behind Dot, and roughly grabbing her by her ears to bring her back to the exam table. _(To which the lawyer began furiously writing notes in her folder after witnessing the footage)_. The girl's ponytail was extremely crooked afterwards, signifying that the force he used was beyond excessive, and she appeared to be upset and glossy-eyed. Otto's hands began shaking at the sight playing before them on the screens, yet he dutifully kept his eyes glued to the screens as the lawyer continued making notes on the paper about the footage. The youngest toon was seen crossing her arms and hunching inwards as she side-eyed the doctor with weariness, the audio barely catching her remark to him about not knowing how to treat a lady- and that she feels bad for his wife, which seemed to anger the doctor more. She fled the room as soon as the exam was over, signifying that Wakko was next.

As Dot emerged from the room, Wakko got up from his seat next to his brother and hesitantly proceeded into the room, nervous of going in alone without his siblings or Scratchy to help him speak. As the exam door closed, Yakko was seen putting the magazine aside and observing Dot as she sat next to him, she looked angry and refused to answer her brother's question on what got her riled up. The footage showed the eldest toon questioning his sister's severely crooked ponytail and getting a growled answer in response, he is seen removing the flower scrunchie and re-tying her signature ponytail properly. Otto could tell by the teen's expression that he was becoming suspicious as well, watching as Dot angrily picked at the hem of her glove in silence before leaning her head on his shoulder with a huff.

The exam footage showed Wakko behaved well enough, just as Dot did, though the Doctor seemed to be much _rougher_ and more impatient than before. Barbarous' questions were met with silence, and Otto knew **exactly** what the problem was. Without his siblings or someone he trusted around, Wakko _wouldn't_ speak. Wakko understood exactly what was being asked of him, but he couldn't find his voice to physically speak _(being locked away in isolation for **decades** with only his siblings to trust was the root to this problem)_ and in turn, Dr. Barbarous began talking down to the silent toon and berating him as if he was an _idiot_ , which was upsetting Wakko more and more as the name calling made personal jabs to his intelligence. His ears pinned back and lip curling in a silent snarl, his face blushing from embarrassment. Despite the aggressive body language, his expression was more hurt than angry. A reflex test on Wakko’s elbow caused the boy accidentally knock the rubber hammer from the Doctor's grasp. It arched through the air, and Wakko caught it in his mouth, instinctively chewing on the instrument. The Doctor suddenly grasped the boy by the neck, squeezing hard and roughly shaking him until he spit out the rubber hammer, continuing to squeeze for several moments more _even after the hammer was released_. Otto endured the footage with his heart racing a mile a minute as Wakko looked panicked and clutched at his neck where Barbarous nearly crushed it. The footage showed him leaving the exam table as soon as Dr.Barbarous' back was turned, and high-tailed it out the door. 

The hallway footage showed both Yakko and Dot startling when Wakko burst through the door, squeezing himself between his siblings in what seemed to be an attempt to hide from the Doctor. Dot asked her brother a question, but the audio wasn't caught clearly. Whatever she asked seemed to alarm the eldest toon, suddenly looking panicked as he heard **his** name called by the Doctor. Putting two and two together, realization hit the teen, and Otto had never seen Yakko look so lost yet panicked- probably wishing Scratchy was there to end the whole thing. However, he put on a brave face, the audio catching the muffled "Don't worry sibs, I'll handle it." as he confidently entered the exam room and shut the door behind him.

The exam room footage showed Yakko's demeaner instantly changing as soon as the door was closed, he had put on a brave face for his siblings, but now looked on-edge and eyeing the Doctor suspiciously. The Doctor was seen yanking him by the arm when he lingered by the door too long, and roughly pushing him to the exam table. Yakko quietly endured as Barbarous was extra rough with the exam, pulling his ear too hard when using the scope, roughly yanking his mouth open when examining his teeth and throat, hitting his knee unnecessarily hard with the rubber hammer when testing his reflexes, causing Yakko to involuntarily kick his leg out and accidentally hit the Doctor with it. 

Yakko can be seen fidgeting sheepishly and attempting to apologize, but is slapped hard across the face before he can finish. _(A collective gasp escaped the occupants of the media room, Otto's stomach dropped, suddenly feeling faint as he forced himself to continue to watch.)_ Nothing happens at first, just Yakko looking dumbfounded and shocked, blinking in disbelief. The audio captures a mumble from the Doctor as he leans in closer to Yakko as if asking a question, and once Yakko tries to answer he is slapped _again,_ harder this time before he can answer. Immediately, small gloved hands come up to cup his sore cheek, and he is heard saying something back, but too low to be caught by audio. His ears are pinned back and his tail is now swishing agitatedly, the fur standing on-end. The Doctor can be heard asking if it hurts, scoffing at the teen. When no response comes, he raises his hand to strike again, but Yakko quickly grabs his wrist, the audio finally catching a desperate _**“DON’T HIT ME! I-I KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO THEM!”**_ , sharp teeth now bared. 

Unable to wring his wrist away, the Doctor strikes him hard with his other hand, and Yakko snaps his head to the arm closest to him, biting down _hard._ Barbarous is heard cursing, trying to pry off the jaws clamped on his arm, before hitting Yakko over and over in a panic. A high growl can be heard as Yakko digs his claws into the arm, and the Doctor stumbles back, knocking over the chairs and desk, swinging and shaking his arm wildly to dislodge the toon, causing Yakko to now dig his back claws in, caterwauling _loudly._ The noise rattled Otto to the core, as well as everyone else watching the footage...he had _ **never**_ heard any of the kids make such a noise, especially not the usually level-headed Yakko. _It sounded dangerous, feral, and a part of him was truly **scared** by it._

In the hallway footage, Wakko and Dot are seen sharing nervous glances at the noises coming from the exam room, the youngest reaching out to hold Wakko's hand as nurses come over. The staff listen for a bit before ushering the kids out of the seats to stand farther away from the exam room door, using a phone on the wall to most likely call security.

Several tense minutes now pass, inside the exam room Dr.Barbarous is now kneeling on the ground panting, pushing Yakko on his back as his arm is still clenched in the jaws and claws of the angry toon. **"LET GO! I SAID LET GO, GODDAMMIT!"** he pants, striking the toon on the head yet again, causing Yakko to begin thrashing his head side-to-side to tear into the arm even more, tail thumping furiously against the carpeted floor. Cursing and losing strength, Dr. Barbarous uses his free hand to attempt to dig his fingers between Yakko's pointed teeth and the flesh of his arm, but is unsuccessful. Deliriously, Barbarous wedges his free hand around the teen's neck and leans forward squeezing hard, causing Yakko to let go of the arm in his grip and weakly pushes at the Doctor's face with the palm of his hand. With the strength he has left, the man pushes all his weight down on Yakko's mouth with his injured arm, causing the teen to growl, but the action made him exhale hard- the blood collecting in his mouth and throat spray out from the gaps between teeth and flesh, causing him to choke and gag. Only then did Yakko let go, coughing on the coppery blood and yelping as Barbarous swiftly kicked the toon on the floor, backing up to put distance between them, gripping his wounded arm. Otto has to fight the nausea rising in his throat at the sight, swallowing hard as Ralph turns his head, unable to watch.

After a small crowd forms outside the exam room from the noise, the security is seen entering the room, stun guns are drawn and pointed at the young toon on the floor who immediately throws his hands up in fear as Barbarous is given enough time to stumble out of the office. Security backs up to the door before slamming it shut, locking him alone in the room. Yakko is seen trying to catch his breath, nervously wiping his bloody hands on his trousers and looking panicked. Stumbling to stand, he tries the door handle but it’s locked, fresh tears start to form as he uselessly tries to wring the door open while calling out for Wakko and Dot. He runs to the window, but that’s locked too. He dizzily makes his way back the door listening to the crowd outside, getting down on his knees to try and peer under the door to spot white paws among the sea of frantically shuffling shoes, then stands to press his head against the door to listen for his siblings, only hearing the chaotic noises of rushed footsteps and barked orders on the other side of the door. Suddenly, he scrambles to the closet- diving inside and not having time to close the door before Dr. Scratchansniff is seen stumbling into the room.

***

  
The footage is paused there, everyone was quiet aside from the noise of the lawyer's pen furiously scratching away notes. _Yakko **was** telling the truth._ Otto was fighting to not let the nausea or urge to faint take over him, cradling his head in his hands. Plotz was the first to break the silence, slamming his fist down on the console triumphantly, startling all the occupants of the media room “Aha! Barbarous doesn’t have a case! He threw the first hit! This company isn’t ruined after all!” Otto slowly looked at the CEO with disgust, **of course** he would only see the financial gain in the situation, not the fact that _a grown man was **beating** literal children on camera! _ The images of the siblings being manhandled and abused still replayed in the psychiatrist's head over and over. He felt disgusted, nauseous, furious, relived, and heartbroken all at the same time, and felt close to crying. Otto finally asked to be excused, but Plotz told him he and Ralph were free to leave for now- that he and Carmelita had work to do.

  
Everything seemed like a blur, he wasn't certain how he got from the media room to outside the building so quickly, all he knew was that he was throwing up on the concrete outside the building, not caring who watched or stared. A feeling of despair washed over him, reaching for his handkerchief to wipe his face but not finding it, belatedly remembering that he had given it to Yakko earlier in the day. _The kids... **he had to visit the kids, they needed him.**_

  
Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, the psychiatrist numbly made his way to his on-site apartment that was several floors above his psychiatry office. He had enough time to clean up and shower, hastily throwing together a quick yet hearty spaghetti dinner to bring for the kids as he called Heloise to meet him by the water tower at 6:30pm sharp. Otto tried to distract himself from the images replaying in his head as he finished the cooking, his mind would race and wander to things he would do to Dr.Barbarous if given just 5 minutes and a golf club with the vile man...all the scenarios he imagined ended up with the man ultimately dead, and the psychiatrist would try to end the thoughts right there. He had confidence that Carmelita would take care of the legal side of things, but deep down he wanted run into the Doctor and show him the same pain that he caused the children...

  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Otto brings dinner for the Warners, while Heloise makes an assessment on Yakko's current condition. Things seemed to have calmed down, for now...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thank you everyone for all the kind comments and kudos! They help drive me to finish up this story, so thank you all for your support! This chapter is a fluffy break from the previous violence-heavy chapters, but there's still a trigger warning here for vomiting (Concussions make you nauseous) and a needle (for those who are afraid of needles or injections). Thank you and enjoy!

  
Later that day as the sun was low in the sky, bathing the city of Burbank in a hazy orange glow, Otto hastily made his way from room to room of his apartment, picking up items from here and there and mumbling to himself. "Vhere is it...vhere is- _aha!"_ he exclaimed, grabbing his slippers from under the kitchen table. He brought them to the bedroom where a duffle bag sat halfway filled, a folded a pair of soft sleeping pants and bag of toiletries sitting at the very top were squashed down as he tried to fit the slippers. 

  
Pausing for a moment, he ran his fingertips over the soft faux fur fabric of the slippers. They were a hot pink color and in the shape of flamingos, something he would never have dreamed of wearing in his entire life- but they were a gift. The Warner children had gotten them for him, showing up in his office one day with a bag of sour candies and a plain white box. They announced that they had gotten him a gift ( _with their weekly allowance_ ), and after he reminded them that he disliked sour treats, Wakko affirmed that the treats were _theirs_ , and that the box was _his,_ before placing the box in his lap. Otto was considerably weary, knowing that Dot liked to keep strange 'pets' in similar boxes, but seeing how the kids eagerly watched him with tails wagging in excitement and ears perked high, he took his chances and carefully opened the box. And there they were: a pair of hot-pink flamingo slippers sat there staring up at him with shiny button eyes. They were hideously _ridiculous_ , the epitome of kitschy. " _Do you like them?"_ Dot asked sweetly, but something in her expression told that she was secretly hoping he didn't say 'no'. Otto removed them from the box, smiling genuinely as he nodded "They are **EXACTLY** what I've been looking for!" he said, before trying them on and making all three kids giggle hysterically at the sight, pulling them in a tight hug afterwards.

  
The psychiatrist smiled at the memory, pushing the slippers in the bag and zipping it up. Checking his wristwatch, he cursed as he realized it was only a few minutes until his meet-up time with Heloise. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he grabbed the plastic bag of souvenirs from earlier in one arm, and carefully grabbed the pot of spaghetti and meatballs to place it in a thermal bag, balancing the items as he locked his apartment and headed out for the water tower. 

  
To say he was anxious was an understatement, still shaken up from witnessing the security footage earlier, he wasn't sure if the kids would _want_ to see him or any human anytime soon- though Yakko did react positively to him earlier in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Otto frowned as his thoughts began wandering to more troubling topics again. Out of all the Warners, Yakko was the least aggressive out of the trio, preferring to outwit and talk circles around those who bothered or offended him. But today's event just solidified the fact that even the most easy-going of toons will snap if pushed past the brink. He just hoped with therapy and better overall treatment that it would never happen again- _for Yakko's own sake._ As justified as his actions were, that didn't mean the higher-ups also saw it that way. Despite his small size, he was still the biggest and tallest of the trio, and would be considered a serious threat if the higher-ups feared him enough to send him away to the Vault or worse... _blot him out._ Pushing the grim thought from his head, Otto vowed to fight to the end if it ever came to that- _he would **NEVER** give up on them._

  
It only took him a few minutes to get to his destination, as Heloise stood at the base of the tower with a large medical backpack, holding a box of assorted donuts. They greeted each other, both seeming shaken up from the day's earlier events, and Otto observed the nurse seemed to be more on-edge than he'd ever seen her from all the years they've worked together. He wondered if she was shown the footage as well, but didn't push the sensitive topic. She fished out her company-issued elevator key ( _only staff was allowed access to the tower elevator, the toons had to climb the ladder themselves_ ) and boarded the lift with the psychiatrist. On the way up, he told the blonde to wait outside while he went in first to make sure everything was all right, and she nodded in understanding, standing off to the side and away from the doorway. He swiped his keycard on the newly installed card reader at the heavy tower door ( _he insisted on having access to the tower in case of any emergencies_ ) and made his way in.

  
All was calm inside the tower, lights dim, several toys strew across the floor as the radio in the corner of the livingroom softly played Cab Calloway. Panic set in for a split second, thinking perhaps the Warners escaped once again- not for the sake of fun, _but for the sake of protection._ Quickly calling out his arrival, he jumped a bit when two faces popped out from under the coffee table across the doorway in the livingroom, smiling wide as Wakko and Dot scrambled out from their spot under the table to dash over to the Doctor, tails wagging excitedly " **Hellooooo Scratchy!** " they excitedly greeted, hopping a bit as they wrapped their arms around his waist, causing the container of spaghetti in his hand to sway dangerously. Otto sighed in relief, petting the top of Dot's head as Wakko tried to nudge his head under his hand as well for a turn. 

  
"Hello children, ready for some supper?" the two younger toons nodded eagerly, sniffing the air to catch a whiff of the meal, and celebrating when they realized it was spaghetti. Dot, however, caught another aroma hiding under it, the faint scent of _Chloe eu de parfum_ outside the tower door, she was about to investigate when she got distracted by Scratchy asking the siblings a question. "Vhere's your brother?" Otto asked, trying to hide the worry in his voice at the thought that maybe the teen had left the tower unnoticed since he was missing from the initial greeting. Wakko tilted his head, catching onto the psychiatrist's worry. "He's under thea sleeping" Wakko explained quickly, pointing his sweater sleeve in the direction of the coffee table. Heloise took that moment to carefully peer into the doorway, trying to catch a sight of her patient in the unfamiliar dwelling- after all, it was her first visit inside the tower. Otto's heart caught in his throat, Yakko was the lightest sleeper out of the trio... _how did he not wake up?_ Otto passed the pot of spaghetti to Wakko hurriedly, spilling a bit of sauce inside the bag as he rushed to the table and knelt down. Sure enough, there was Yakko curled up still sleeping. 

  
Otto carefully pulled him out from under the table, lightly shaking the teen and calling his name repeatedly. Dot was quickly by his side tapping at her brother's face. "I tried waking him up before, but he wasn't having it. Weird." the youngest Warner remarked. Otto quickly called for Heloise, who rushed over and opened the medical bag, rummaging for a few seconds before pulling out a small packet.( _Wakko immediately perking up upon seeing his favorite blonde, placing the pot on the ground and scampering over to join the others_ ). Breaking open the packet, she held the smelling salts under Yakko's cherry-red nose for several moments until the toon suddenly inhaled deeply, grimacing as he woke up, sitting up so fast he almost collided heads with Scratchy. 

  
"WHA' HAPPEN??" he slurred, looking around dazedly at the blurred faces around him. Sighing in relief, Otto placed his hands on the toon's shoulders to stabilize him. "Relax Yakko, it's just Miss Nerz und I. How are you feeling?" he asked, the younger Warners coming around to sit on either side of their older brother, curious as well. They knew _something_ had happened, but Yakko was being suspiciously vague and fell asleep before he could give them the juicy details- now that he was finally awake, they wanted the full scoop! " I-I feel fine! Just a little headache is all, nothing a little ibuprofen can't fix, am I right?" he lied carefully, casually watching the blonde as she took out a small notebook to scribble down notes before rummaging through the medical bag further. _'Wait, when did **SHE** get here?!'_ Yakko thought belatedly, gawking at the nurse who was sitting in his livingroom like it was no big deal.

  
"Yakko look at me, do you remember vhat you had for breakfast this morning?" Otto asked, taking note on how the toon was ready to answer, only to falter and look confused. Dot raised her hand, ready to answer for him, but Scratchy stopped her before she could give away the answer. "I had...I had a uuuuuuuuuuhhh...a..um.." he repeatedly snapped his fingers, thinking hard but coming up with nothing. Sorrow gripped Otto's heart as he watched Yakko's ears pin back, admitted his defeat and said he didn't remember. Otto and Heloise shared knowing looks before she pulled out a bottle of peroxide, cotton pads, and a fresh bandage from the medical bag.

  
Carefully, she began wetting the edges of the soiled bandage on his face to make it easier to remove and won't pull at his fur, and Yakko couldn't help but blush as Heloise gently worked on his face, tail swiping side-to-side lazily as he enjoyed the fact that he was her sole focus for the moment. Peeling back the ink-stained bandage, Wakko and Dot cooed at the sight of the bruise and stitches, wanting to poke at it but held back on their urges for their brother's sake. Otto winced at the sight, the memory of the footage replaying in his mind without him wanting it to, and reached out to grab the teen's smaller hand, thinking it would soothe the older Warner, when in reality it was to soothe _himself_ and remind himself that all three were present and safe.

  
Otto directed Yakko's attention back to him, asking him how many fingers he was holding up, to which he got correct. Now came a stomach-turning question..."Yakko, did you swallow any of the blood from earlier?" the psychiatrist asked, Wakko instantly perking up "Swallow _blood?_ You _drank **blood**?!_ Like a _vampire bat?!"_ he asked his brother in disbelief, Dot grimacing and gagging at the implications. Judging by Yakko's horrified expression, it was safe to assume that he _hadn't_ told his siblings the full extent of the fight, so Otto quickly set up a diversion "Ah, Wakko, can you please put the spaghetti on the table? Ve're almost done und ready to eat!" he said cheerfully, to which Wakko nodded reluctantly, getting up to grab the abandoned pot by the door. Yakko quietly admitted he did swallow _(just a little)_ by accident, so the blonde pulled out a vial of amber liquid and a syringe, filling it up to the proper dosage for a toon his size and weight. 

  
"A-aaaaaaaactually on second thought, _I don't think I did! **You can put that away now!"**_ he said in a strained voice, Dot patting his hand to try and comfort him. "Yakko, this is just to help you so that you don't catch anything or get sick. You won't even feel it, I promise" Heloise explained softly, gently but firmly grabbing his arm. Dot meanwhile squeezed her brother's hand, but was absorbing the information like some top-secret gossip, putting the snippets if info together to get the full story of what happened. "Nah it's ok, you don't have to do this, honest!" the teen shakily said, ears flattening as he tried to wring his arm from her grasp. Otto saw the signs of this going downhill fast, but before he could say or do anything, Wakko called out from the kitchen, holding up the box of treats Heloise brought. "Hey look Yakko, **DONUTS!"** he exclaimed, Yakko turning his head to look at his brother to ask "Wait, _really?!"_ and sure enough, there was a box of pristinely frosted _Dunkie Donuts_ in all their glory.

  
"Aaand, done!" the nurse announced, pulling away the syringe. Yakko whipped his head back to her in disbelief, glancing down at his arm that now sported a band aid covered in smiley faces. "Oh. _That wasn't so bad..."_ he admitted in a small voice, Dot giggled at her brother as Yakko narrowed his eyes at her. Otto asked if anything hurt, the teen denied any pain but his expression conveyed that he was purposely holding back. Otto caught on, asking Dot to please set the table for dinner. Deflating and letting his shoulders sag now that his siblings were distracted, Yakko admitted " _Everything_ hurts...I just feel tired, and this _(he gestured from his head to his toes)_ really **hurts.** " Patting the soft fur on his head in understanding, Otto stood and made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Yakko, pausing to help Dot get plates from one of the higher shelves. He noticed cans upon cans of coffee in the upper shelves, something kids their age _shouldn't_ be drinking. Closing the cabinet, he stored that information to question the trio at another time, feeling it was his duty to steer the kids in the right direction when it came to health and good habits ( _since nobody in their lives seemed to care about them as much as he did_ ).The kids seemed to have things handled in the kitchen, so the psychiatrist returned to the livingroom where Heloise was packing up her bag and gathering the wrappings of the used equipment, placing two Tylenols in Yakko's palm. Otto handed him the water as he took the medicine, Heloise reminding him to tell her any new symptoms he feels. 

  
"Weeee're Ready!" Wakko and Dot announced from the kitchen, already sitting in their seats with the pot of spaghetti in the center of the table. As Otto, Yakko, and Heloise settled into the table, the smell of the usually enticing food made the teen sick to his stomach. He didn't know why, since spaghetti ( _especially Scratchy's recipe_ ) was one of his favorites, but as the psychiatrist started serving everyone their plate, he felt like gagging at the sight and scent of it. Despite his stomach growling, he couldn't bare the thought of eating it. Unconsciously pinning his ears back and swishing his tail agitatedly under the table, he slowly looked at everyone enjoying and chatting away and felt weirdly emotional, feeling frustrated and like he wanted to cry for some reason. He looked over at his siblings enjoying their meal and felt the urge to cry slowly dissipating as he found comfort in seeing them happy. He finally picked up his fork to cut the meatball on his plate in half, placing one half on Dot's plate with his fork, then the other half on Wakko's. Otto paused his chatting with Heloise when he saw the teen wasn't eating. "Yakko don't give your food away, finish it yourself und you will feel much better." and observed as he finally reluctantly took a bite. Satisfied, he resumed his chatter with Heloise for about a minute more before the toon clumsily rushed from the table, hands clamped over his mouth as he stumbled to the bathroom, the sound of retching following soon after. Wakko was quick to leave his seat, running after his brother and scampering on all fours for added speed, diving into the bathroom after him. Heloise sighed, stating to Otto that it was a common side effect of a concussion and the psychiatrist nodded, leaving the table to join the boys in the bathroom.

  
"Woah..faboo! Looks like you didn't even chew it!"

"I **did** chew it, didn't you see me?"

"Doesn't look like it!" Otto entered the bathroom in time to see Yakko sitting on the floor by the toilet, Wakko flushing the undigested spaghetti down the drain. Otto helped him rinse his mouth in the sink, before picking up Wakko and tucking him under his arm as he used his other hand to steer Yakko back to the table. On the toon's plate sat two slices of plain toast, courtesy of Heloise, and the group resumed their meal, Yakko's stomach settling enough to keep the toast down. Once the donuts were brought out, Dot asked her brother which one he would like to have later when he was feeling better, and Otto observed the wholesome scene. The two younger toons seemed to be acting their usual selves, as if the abuse they suffered previously in the day didn't occur. There were implications as to why this was, one of them being that the treatment they received _was nothing new to them_ , and the psychiatrist felt a knot in his chest as he watched the children. Someday soon, after the whole situation finally blows over, he would have to sit with each one and have a one-on-one with them about their treatment throughout the years. It might not magically fix everything and erase all previous abuses, but it was a step in the right direction.

  
After dinner, he gave out the souvenirs he had brought from the convention to the children: a keychain with their initials, and a plushie for each- One of Freud, Pavlov, and Wundt. As they gushed over their new souvenirs, Otto and Heloise got to work in cleaning up the kitchen and washing the plates, storing away the leftovers in the suspiciously barren fridge which cause Otto to pause. Despite being one of the biggest money-makers in the company, the Warner's weekly allowance didn't seem enough to sustain them. They had to _beg_ Plotz to be allowed to use more of _their own hard-earned money_ , and the outcome of the decision was based solely on how Plotz's attitude was that day. _(Which was never good)_. Otto decided to get them groceries later in the week with his own money, then eventually bringing up the allowance-withholding issues with Plotz _himself._

  
Checking the time, he notified the kids to start wrapping up and to get ready to wash up before bed. A hot bath was drawn, the two younger Warners disrobed and hopped in the bath happily, taking their small boats and toys ready for a long session of play. Yakko was the last one into the bathroom, making his way tiredly to the tub ready to join his siblings when Otto stopped him. "Ah ah! No toys this time, children! Strictly wash und no dilly-dallying, you can have time to play after the bath." All three groaned, Wakko and Dot grabbing their respective soap and brushes and got to work in bathing. Yakko began reaching for his belt to disrobe, but Otto stopped him. "Yakko, for this time I'd like for you to wait until they're done." this confused the teen. 

  
"What gives, Scratchy? We always wash together." _(a 'yeah!' was piped in by the two younger kids)_ and Otto gently steered Yakko to the sink, handing him his toothbrush as a silent command to do that first. As Yakko begrudgingly prepped the brush with paste, Otto explained in a low voice so that only the teen can hear him "You may have blood on you, you'd be getting it on Wakko und Dot if you shared the bath tonight.." Realization dawned on Yakko's face and he nodded, beginning to brush his deceptively sharp teeth as his siblings finished up their bath.

  
After several minutes, Dot called out "We're done!", so Otto rolled up his sleeve and pulled the plug of the bath, the water quickly swirling down the drain. He didn't have time to take cover before the two Warners dropped on all fours and braced, shaking their bodies as the water flew off their fur, spraying Scratchy and causing him to sputter. _( Yakko didn't bother to stifle his laughter at the now soaking-wet psychiatrist.)_ Yakko finished brushing his teeth, waiting by the tub as Otto wrapped Dot with a towel, then Wakko, and ushered the two out the door and towards the bedroom. 

  
Yakko finally was able to disrobe, carefully stepping into the tub to avoid slipping and turning on the shower, since a bath just wasn't fun without his sibs or boats to play with. As soon as the water hit him, he could see why Scratchy wanted him to wait- his dark fur concealed the blood that had dried on him, the water running down the drain now tinted heavily with both blood and ink from his wound. It was a bit stubborn to get it out of his fur, but eventually with enough scrubbing it finally came out. Once he was clean, he spent a few minutes more just enjoying the warm spray on his aching body before turning off the water, instinctually bracing to shake the excess water off. He immediately halted after just one shake, his head throbbed and vision swam from the action. _Perhaps just a towel dry would suffice..._

  
He dried himself as best as he could before wrapping the towel around his waist and making his way to the bedroom, one hand lightly bracing on the wall as his vision kept swimming. Wakko was reading a comic dressed in a onesie, while Dot sat at her vanity and securing her hair tuft in a roller while dressed in a pink nightgown. The teen put on a lavender pajama pants and button down set, ears perking as he heard footsteps approaching their bedroom. Heloise opened the door and announced that she was leaving for the night, giving each Warner a kiss _(to which both Wakko and Yakko sighed dreamily)_ and made her way to the tower door, Otto following her to the door to wave goodbye and thanking her for everything before shutting it, turning to face the trio. "Kids, I will be staying for the night, as-per her orders I must wake you up every 2 hours to make an assessment." 

  
As Otto went to the bathroom to freshen up before bed, the trio rushed to his duffle bag in the livingroom. Dot took the initiative to open the side zipper slowly, all three stopping to look at the bathroom door as if Scratchy would secretly know they were touching his stuff. When he didn't emerge, Dot unzipped the bag all the way, taking out the first item that she felt. It was...metallic, with three blades on the flat side. "What is this, some sort of alien probing device?" she asked, turning the item in her small hands. Wakko grabbed it to have a better look, and Yakko corrected Dot's statement. "That's a _razor_ , humans use it on their face all the time!" The middle Warner perked up, glancing at the tool in his hand-he wanted to try it out! He lifted a sleeve, and dragged the item across a small patch on his arm. Nothing happened at first, but on the second drag, the fur was removed, showing pristine white furless skin underneath. He gasped, frantically rubbing the now furless patch as if it would magically make the fur grow back, as Dot and Yakko snorted and burst out in hushed hysterical laugher at their brother's expense. 

  
*****To be Continued*****


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Warners settled in for the night, Wakko has a nightmare brought on by old memories, and Yakko regrets talking too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Thank you so much once more for all the kudos and comments! I'm sorry for missing last week's update, so I combined this week's and last weeks chapters into one. The warnings for this week is a mention of an attempted drugging of a minor, and memories of a fire. Also, concussions tend to cause irritability and mood swings, as you'll see towards the end of the chapter. Thankyou and enjoy!

  
Wakko growled lowly at his siblings, the duo giggling and snickering at the fact that his curiosity got the better of him once more ( _which resulted in a small bald patch on his arm_ ). Grumbling, he shoved the offending razor back in the duffle bag and reached into a different spot to pull out another item from Scratchy's bag. Feeling something soft and plush, he yanked it out triumphantly- the trio gasped at the glorious sight...of **a hot pink flamingo slipper!**

  
"Hey! I guess Scratchy _really_ did like that present after all!" Dot exclaimed with a smile on her face, tail beginning to wag at the thought that the psychiatrist liked the gift enough to bring it along with him. "Looks like he used them for awhile too, the soles are all worn." Wakko observed, flipping the slipper to show the wear and tear on the non-slip heel. Yakko observed quietly, heart fluttering over the fact that Scratchy was _actually_ using and enjoying a gift they've given him- instead of throwing it out or forcing them to return it like all their previous 'handlers' have done, so it came as a surprise to all of them. 

  
Yakko took hold of the slipper, holding it carefully as Wakko continued to rummage through the bag, burying his head into the bag and sniffing audibly after suddenly catching a tantalizing scent. Yakko and Dot perked up, leaning towards their brother in anticipation _(his nose was always right, after all!)_ before the middle Warner made a noise of approval, pulling his head out of the bag with a full pack of gum clutched in his teeth. All three bounced in their spots, Wakko placing a stick of gum in each of their hands. However, before they could even unwrap the treat, a noise from the bathroom drew their attention to the door.

  
Suddenly, Otto emerged from the bathroom to look for his toothbrush, and the toons froze in their spots by his bag still holding the items, caught red-handed. Otto blinked at the signt, walking over to his bag as the siblings' ears drooped, tails tucking defensively as he stood over them, the toons _flinching_ as he bent down to reach into the bag himself to fish out his toothbrush, before standing again and regarding the kids with a puzzled look.

"..Vhat...?" he asked, taking in the sight of the kids frozen in their spots before Dot gathered enough courage to ask "Aren't you mad at us?", dumbfounding the psychiatrist.  
"Why vhould I be mad at you?" he asked.  
"'Well, 'cause we're touching your stuff...?" Yakko responded. Otto's expression fell, understanding the implications, and worked on setting a good example.

"I don't mind you three touching my stuff as long as you don't purposely break it, I understand you three are curious, und curiosity is the fuel of learning." The three nodded, understanding the concept but not the idea that they weren't in trouble.

  
"However..." Otto continued, tapping his foot. "It'z getting late, und the two of you haven't brushed your teeth before bed yet. Let us finish up for the night, ya?" So as Wakko and Dot headed for the bathroom, Yakko placed the items back in the duffle bag, faintly noticing Scratchy's scent on each of the items due to his sensitive nose, the scent somehow made him feel calm and protected in a way he couldn't quite describe, which frustrated him in a way. He _never_ felt that way before with anyone besides his sibs, and knew from experience that most adults were bad news...yet Scratchy was different.

  
He carefully zipped the bag back up and made his way to the bedroom since he already brushed his teeth for the night, and carefully slipped into his bed and under the covers, staring at nothing in particular as he listened to the muffled voices of the trio across the hall in the bathroom. Hearing the indiscernible voices reminded him of the muffled voices from the other side of the examination room earlier. He tightly shut his eyes, willing away the memory that plagued him the entire day- it seemed like every little thing would trigger him remembering the events with Dr.Barbarous, his thoughts spiraling into the exhausting territory of 'over-thinking'. 

  
_What would've happened if he allowed the doctor to continue? What would've happened if he didn't let go of the doctor's arm? What if the doctor ended up hurting him beyond repair? What would happen to his sibs if he was gone? What if they find him guilty and send him away? Who will protect his sibs then??_

  
The teen's spiraling thoughts were suddenly cut short as soon as his siblings entered the bedroom with Scratchy in tow. As everyone settled into their respective beds, Otto shut the main light, tucking them all in and petting them goodnight. Otto lingered by Yakko's bed to remind him in a low voice, "Remember, let me know if anything is hurting you, wake me up if you must. I'm setting my alarm for every two hours, ya?" Yakko nodded, enjoying the extra head scritches before the psychiatrist left his bed side and slowly walked to the door.

  
Otto glanced at the trio one last time before closing the door, sighing and making his way to the livingroom. It was a very long day, and he wanted nothing more than to finally rest his eyes, but his mind seemed to have other plans. He felt a pain deep in his chest as he thought back on the Warners all snugged in their beds- _how on earth could someone ever want to cause them harm?_ Sure, they had their moments where they would get on anyone's nerves from time to time, but there would **never** be a point where he would want to cause them harm. As he thought back on the security footage, all of the siblings were well behaved... and yet they were still mistreated. 

  
Shaking his head, he tried to stop himself from recalling the footage for the time being, knowing it would rob him of much needed sleep. He couldn't take care and mentor the Warners properly if he was sleep deprived. He opened his duffel bag and chuckled at the state it was in- the kids had _obviously_ rummaged through it, but he knew they were curious, and he honestly didn't mind it. 

  
Removing his pillow and blanket, he set up the couch to be his makeshift bed for the night in the soft glow of the fireplace, placing his flamingo slippers beside the couch and placed his glasses on the coffee table. Settling in, he set his watch alarm to go off in exactly two hours...

  
_***Wakko's nightmare***_

  
_It was yet another late night into filming, caffeine and sugar being the only thing keeping him awake and aware as they finished up a 30-hour filming session (clearly violating their labor rights, as if any of the adults around them cared) of a historical comedy film. He was exhausted and hungry, spots occasionally clouding his vision until he blinked them away, and despite not feeling heated, he had broken out in a cold sweat._

  
_Whenever he knew the camera wouldn't be directly on him, he rested his eyes and leaned heavily on his prop sword. Just as he began getting too deep into his rest, he jumped and yelped as the script called for a cannon to fire off. Unfortunately, the explosion caused a curtain on set to catch fire, the cotton fabric quickly feeding the fire and spreading upwards, flaming cloth dropping to the floor and igniting further props._

  
_As the adults screamed and ran for their own lives, **none** of the actors bothered to help the children on set. The director angrily tried to call the other actors back, before using his megaphone to yell for Warners to stay put- saying that their 'handler' had to be the one to deal with them off the set, and yelled that help was coming to put out the flames._

  
_Wakko cried out as he was closest to the fire, his muskatateer hat caught fire and he threw the oversized hat off, scampering quickly to his brother who was frantically calling to him across the set, the middle Warner not bothering his hide his panicked whimpering. Yakko wrapped his arm around his little brother, clutching him tightly as he backed them both up to the intricate pillar where Dot was. The girl quickly made her way down, squeezing herself against her brothers, trembling as the air around them became stifling. Yakko tried to keep his cool, but Wakko could tell he was just as nervous and scared as they were._

  
_Help was on it's way, right? He ceased his whimpering and tried to keep his cool like Yakko, but as the precious seconds ticked by and the flames consumed more of the set, **none** of the adults came to help them...did they seriously **leave** them? They couldn't have...they couldn't have **forgotten** about them...! As the flames licked closer, Yakko began to panic, screaming over the sounds of the flames in a desperate attempt for someone, anyone to rescue them._

  
_**"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US! PLEASE HELP US!"** he screamed in utter panic, casing his younger siblings to also panic and scream, clutching to each other as all their exits were consumed by fire. Yakko began coughing, pushing his siblings behind him as they squeezed against the only wall that wasn't in flames. Wakko turned his face as the heat began to burn his face and eyes, tail tucked fearfully between his legs, the air around them quickly becoming too hot to breathe- every lungful burned and felt like it wasn't enough. Lifting his head to gasp for air, he noticed a dim light up above them. A window was about 50feet up the studio warehouse wall- **an escape!**_

  
_He screamed over the sound of the flames about the window, notifying his siblings to their last escape. Within a blink of an eye, Yakko turned to his terrified siblings, pulling Wakko towards his back, the boy clung tightly to his older brother's shoulders, wrapping his legs around his waist. Dot clutched onto Yakko's chest, also wrapping her legs around his waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her terrified crying continued. Yakko began scaling the wall, using his claws to dig into the fabric of the wall as the fire began advancing on the spot that they were just standing in._

  
_Running on adrenaline alone, he slowly clawed his way up the wall, shaking from the extra weight and heat as the distance between them and the window narrowed. The middle Warner could feel his brother weakening, his shaking now a jarring tremble, and Wakko began to panic that they might fall. At around 10 feet away from the window, Wakko crawled off his brother's back and scaled the wall ahead of him at a quicker speed, reaching the window and opening it, finally able to take lungful's of fresh air. Yakko began losing strength, but Wakko called for him in a desperate panic-filled voice that he was almost there and not to give up!_

  
_Dot began to wiggle, turning to dig her claws in the wall also and scaling up the wall clumsily as her puffy costume dress got in the way several times almost causing her to fall, quickly perching on the windowsill and reaching down her hand to Yakko as Wakko reached down as well. Yakko tiredly reached up, his hand quickly gripped by two small yet strong hands and was yanked up onto the windowsill as the trio looked out the window to safety._

_As Dot made her way down the exterior wall, Wakko nervously motioned Yakko to go next, but Yakko wasn't having it. He wanted them to get to safety first, and nudged Wakko to go next. He stubbornly refused, making sure his older brother took the time to catch his breath, and looked down inside the building one last time. The spot they took shelter in just minutes before was ablaze, **and nobody was coming looking for them.** They would be dead if they listened and stayed for rescuers. How dare they..._

***SLAM!***

  
Wakko startled awake, a swift pillow to the face had woken him up. He sat up, looking to his right to see Dot peacefully asleep in the bed. He then turned to his left to see Yakko sitting up in his bed in the pitch dark, holding the offending pillow.

__

"You keep whimpering." the toon whispered, setting his pillow back to it's spot on the bed. "What's wrong, you feelin' sick?"

__

Wakko shook his head, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawned. "Just havin' a bad dream is all..." he admitted. 

__

  
"Oh...c'mere." Yakko whispered back, the older toon pulled his blanket back, patting the spot next to him. Wakko wasted no time leaving his bed, cringing at the feeling of the cold floor on his feet as he padding over to the other bed and hopped in, curling in towards his brother. Yakko brought the blanket up over them and wiggled a bit to settle in again on his back as Wakko curled into his side. "What were you dreamin' about?" he asked his sibling, curiosity taking over his sleepiness. Wakko yawned, wanting to go back to sleep instead of chat but, humored his brother anyway.

__

"It was more like remembering...it was _-yawn-_ about the fire of '32.." he mumbled, feeling his brother tensing before replying in a tight voice _"Oh."_ All was quiet for several peaceful minutes, Wakko was on the verge of sleep when Yakko spoke up again.

__

"That won't ever happen again, I won't let that happen again..." the teen announced, Wakko groaned and curled in tighter just wanting to sleep "Uh huh..." he replied groggily. A couple minutes passed before Yakko spoke again.

__

"That's a promise y'know. Things are gonna be different from now on. _Nobody's_ gonna push us around anymor-"

__

"Uh huh. G'night, Yak..." Wakko cut him off tiredly, annoyed of being yanked from the brink of sleep once more, a minute more passed before the toon spoke up again.

__

"I can't believe they told us to wait for help! They really thought we woul-" Wakko had _enough_ , he wanted to **sleep!** Bringing his cold feet up, he pressed the chilled pads of his paws to his brother's leg, tiredly laughing at Yakko's sudden hiss, earning a hard flick on his nose. Finally, the two quieted down and fell into slumber.

__

-A while later-

__

  
Softly, the teen was shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder, making the toon whine lowly in his throat, his head throbbed in pain as well as every bruised muscle in his body. Slowly he opened his eyes, seeing the top of Wakko's head as he curled towards him in his deep sleep, softly purring. He thought it must've been Dot trying to wake him, when suddenly he realized the hand was _MUCH_ bigger than Dot's.

__

  
Heart suddenly picking up pace, he _growled-_ placing his arm protectively over the small form of his sleeping brother as he snapped at the stranger's hand on his shoulder, only to halt when he realized it was Scratchy. His snarling suddenly ceased, confusion and horror crossing his face as he remembered the doctor was sleeping over- _and he almost bit him by mistake._

__

  
Scratchy seemed unfazed, placing a finger over his mouth in a silent shushing motion and held his hands out to the toon. As Yakko shakily sat up, Otto picked him up from the under arms and scooped him up- carrying him out of the bedroom away from the two sleeping toons and down the hall to his makeshift bed in the livingroom, flamingo slippers quietly squeaking with each step. Yakko meanwhile was frozen in a strange mix of both horror and bliss: horror over the fact that he almost bit Scratchy, and bliss over the fact that someone was actually properly carrying him without scruffing him _(his tail wagged wildly at the feeling)_. They entered the livingroom, the only light came from the fireplace, painting the whole room in a warm glow.

__

  
As Otto placed the toon on the floor, he was prepared for the sudden onslaught of whispered apologies from the teen: he had _felt_ the sharp teeth grazing his hand in the bedroom, and was fully prepared for it. It was the first time anyone had slept over the water tower after all, and the toon was suffering from a concussion, causing temporary memory issues, something he explained to the still-apologizing toon. Motioning for him to sit down on the couch, asking him if he was in any pain to which Yakko explained that both his head and body hurt.

__

  
"Ok, how many fingers am I holding up?"  
"Seven."  
"Good, now remember these words, ya? Horse, cat, crocodile, vhale, und rabbit."  
"Horse, cat crocodile, _vhale,_ und rabbit."  
"...No, no, no, not vhale, but vhale- like the large marine mammal."  
"Yeah, that's what I said- _vhale."_

__

  
Otto dragged a hand down his face at Yakko _literally_ copying the words in his accent. Brushing it off, he told the toon to stay put, heading over to the kitchen to find a glass and fill it with water. He rummaged through the medical bag Heloise had left him, locating the bottle of painkillers and taking out two small tablets.

__

  
Returning to the livingroom with the pills and glass of water in hand, he saw that Yakko had gotten comfortble on his makeshift bed, sitting upright with the blanket now over his lap. He handed the teen the meds, making sure he took it with enough water. "Now, do you remember the words I told you before?"

__

  
"Horse, cat, crocodile, vhale, und rabbit!" he beamed, giggling at Scratchy trying to hide his smirk. The psychiatrist sat down next to him on the couch, noticing that the toon seemed more awake than usual. He questioned him about it, and learned that he was woken up earlier by Wakko having a nightmare. 

__

  
Otto had several sessions with Wakko concerning his phobia of clowns, and found the middle Warner to be the most open with him when it came to his fears and feelings, Dot coming in a close second. But Yakko was the exact opposite- hiding his true feelings with jokes and humor and shutting down all attempts of therapy, getting cagey and defensive with the psychiatrist if he pushed too much. The eldest Warner was the least trusting of the trio, and witnessing first hand on how society treated him and his siblings, he understood his weariness. However, he needed him to open up in order to truly help him, and decided to use information of his siblings in order to gain his trust more.

__

  
"Vell, was it about a _clown?_ Your brother is improving on getting over his fear, and is a very brave kid...all of you are." he said, seeing Yakko's expression change from Scratchy knowing his little brother's secret fear.

__

  
"Nah it wasn't clowns this time, it was kinda like a flashback. A bad memory of a fire that happened a long time ago. That's done and over with, we're all ok. At least it wasn't about that stupid Barbarous guy." he explained, angrily picking at the blanket on his lap at the memory of that _**monster**_. The response caught the psychiatrist off guard... _he didn't know that the siblings were ever caught in any fire,_ nobody had told him about such an important event when he was tasked to be their psychiatrist- meaning the higher ups didn't want him to know about it.

__

  
Otto noticed his change in tone and nodded, carefully choosing his responses to get Yakko to continue. "I see, do you consider Dr.Barbarous to be more _scary_ than the fire? Or was the fire more scary?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant and not like he was spontaneously holding a therapy session. A part of him was nervous too, dreading to hear what other horrors the kids had gone through.

  
"It's not that, I mean, the fire _was_ terrifying, but fire really isn't alive- it just happens. It doesn't wanna hurt us, it just does. I think it's scary when you get hurt 'cus people _want_ to hurt you." he stated, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

  
Otto nodded in understanding, carefully considering his own words to keep Yakko talking. "That is true, und I agree. Today must've been very scary for you three, being the first time you had to defend yourself in such a way. I'm very proud of you for that! Looking out for your brother und sister is a brave thing to do."

Yakko nodded thoughtfully, leaning his elbow on the armrest of the couch as he continued to pick at the blanket while deep in thought. "I gotta watch over them though, they're my sibs. But that doesn't mean they're defenseless, they can hold their own better than I ever can, so they're brave too. It's not the first time somethin' like this happened, y'know" the toon continued conversationally, "Last time somethin' like this happened, we got locked up for almost a year as punishment- would've been more years, but we had a contract to finish a film so they let us back out to finish." 

  
Otto blinked in shock, not remembering such a thing happening during his employment at the movie lot. His heart began beating faster as he realized he just opened a door to a truth that could turn out to be very, _very_ ugly. Gulping, he pushed on. "Vhat do you mean, Yakko?"

  
"Well, Dot and Wakko really let loose on some guy back in '33. I don't blame them though, he was a real creep!" Otto was getting nervous, getting smacked in the face with such information at 2am like it was no big deal wasn't something he had planned when starting this little impromptu session. But this was the most Yakko had ever openly spoken with him, without any punchlines or defensiveness. He didn't want to ruin or end this rare opportunity, and aske the toon to continue in an equally nonchalant tone that betrayed his inner panic.

  
"Do you remember a fella by the name of Al Denville? Starred in _'Country Lights'_?" Otto's stomach dropped, remembering the old film, as well as the recent expose documentary about his unsavory behavior behind the scenes ( _along with his botched horrific plastic surgery._ ) Numbly, he nodded so Yakko continued.

  
"Well, he kept being really annoying at a fancy party we were invited to, wouldn't leave me alone all night. He wasn't a comedian by a long shot, but kept telling these _awful_ jokes that just wouldn't stop. I think it was 'cus I kept responding- y'know a 'courtesy laugh' and all. So, he brought me a Shirley Temple that was waaaaay too sweet. I mean, I like sweets! But this stuff made me cough, maybe too much grenadine syrup? Tasted like straight-up medicine! No doubt to hide the taste of _whatever_ that weirdo put in it. I couldn't finish it, I dumped that stuff out as soon as Al's back was turned. But anyways, I don't really remember what happened after that 'cus I got really tired, I just remember him trying to get me into his car?" Yakko looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Long story short- when I could move again, I finally sat up in the back of that car with Wakko and Dot _beating_ Al silly with their mallets in the parking lot! Now _THAT_ was funny." Yakko chuckled, as if the information he just dropped about being drugged wasn't one of the most terrifying scenarios someone could go through.

  
"Other folks didn't find it funny, though. They'd laugh too if they found out he made me go to sleep _on purpose_ and tried to take me away. Serves him right! A-aaaanyways, nobody believed us when we told them what happened. They made us apologize to Al and pay for his medical stuff, then threw us back in the tower for a year afterwards. By the time we were let out again, Al looked like a completely different person- _different face, same jerk!_ I guess it was to fix what Dot and Wakko did to it, but no amount of surgery can fix _that_ face! Hah! The downside though was that the CEO made the artists change our **original draft** \- we can't use gags anymore unless a script calls for it. So no more mallets or unlimited coconut cream pies, which I really miss...I'm still kinda getting used to not being able to do that anymore. I dunno _how_ he does it, but Wakko figured out how to still use his gag bag, so we share with him." Yakko looked over to Scratchy smiling sweetly, faltering when the psychologist looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "You ok there, doc?"

  
Otto's face blanched, mind reeling with the slew of information just dumped on him. _The kids were made to attend a adult-setting party, without supervision, and one of them was drugged by a well-known Hollywood actor (offender), and nobody believed them?_ Otto couldn't form a coherent thought, and only asked what first came to his mind.

"You...y-you were drugged by Mr.Denville und nobody believed you?!"

" _ALMOST_ drugged, I didn't even finish my drink, remember? You gotta pay better attention when someone's telling a story, Scratchy. I never said I passed out all the way. Besides, Wakko and Dot made sure nothin' happened to me, they took care of that creep and-"

"It doesn't matter if you didn't pass out or not, Yakko!" Otto cried out exasperatedly, "You kids should not have even been allowed there in the first place! The fact that you three were put in danger-"

  
Immediately Yakko's demeaner changed, the door to the truth was slammed shut and his defenses were put up again, ears pinning back in anger as he pointed at the psychiatrist "Hey, we have no control over these things! The folks who are getting paid to make sure these things don't happen are slacking on their jobs! Back in the day when the fire happened we could've all been _burned to a crisp_ and y'know what the director told us? _To stay put, and help will come!_ Did anybody come get us? **No!** _Nobody came!_ If we would've obeyed and stayed we wouldn't even be here anymore! This isn't anything new, stuff like this happens _all the time!_ We got nobody to help us except for ourselves, so don't tell me what I already know, we look out for each other so we don't get hurt!" Yakko fumed, crossing his arms and turning his head away from Scratchy. _"I don't wanna talk anymore."_

  
Otto blinked several times, the information still soaking in as he scrambled to salvage what little progress he had made with the toon. He placed a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of understanding, only for it to be shrugged off defiantly. "I...I'm sorry Yakko. I didn't mean for it to come out as if I was yelling at you, I von't ever yell at you for such a thing- you, Wakko, und Dot did nothing wrong. I just got upset vith how people have treated you, not at you directly. I'm sorry for making it seem that way, und sorry if I raised my voice."

Yakko was still turned away from the psychiatrist, but bit his lip to stop himself from responding. Scratchy sounded so sincere, but he himself was starting to become upset from the murky memories he tried locking away. He forced out a shaky _"Whatever."_ before leaving the couch and making a beeline for his bedroom, not bothering to look back.

  
Otto watched as Yakko retreated back to his room, knowing well enough not to chase after the teen who was clearly upset, he needed time to cool off. Sighing, he rubbed his temples, completely unprepared for the information he just received. He knew it would be bad, but didn't know it was to that extent. The psychiatrist laid down in his makeshift bed defeatedly, knowing he couldn't change the past, but wishing with every fiber of his being that he could...

  
Yakko tired to control his anger, softly pacing across the bedroom in the darkness as he willed the memories that were dredged up to be shoved to the back of his mind once more. He didn't know why his emotions kept flip-flopping lately, he just felt himself getting mad or sad when he didn't even want to- just like now. Scratchy actually _apologized_ to him. Nobody's ever done that, especially not an _adult._ He stopped his pacing, wringing his hands. Sometimes he really hated talking too much, he should've _never_ told Scratchy any of that- but it was too late. And now Scratchy was probably upset at him, even though he said he wasn't.

Yakko felt like he somehow hurt the psychiatrist's feelings seeing how sad he looked, and felt crummy for getting moody and storming off after he had apologized to him. He should _appreciate_ the fact that an adult actually apologized to him...in fact, he felt like _he_ should be the one apologizing. He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for in particular, just that he should. Sneaking over to the bedroom door, he opened it just a bit to peek out, seeing that Scratchy had laid down once more on the couch.

  
Slowly, he tiptoed back to the livingroom, standing next to the prone form of the psychiatrist and listening in for any signs that he was awake. When he got none, he whispered "Scratchy...?" but got no response. Carefully lifting the blanket by the psychiatrist's feet, he slowly crawled under the covers and laid across the psychiatrist's legs, curling up and resting his chin on Scratchy's pajama-clad hip, closing his eyes and willing the sleep to take him away.


End file.
